People older than 70 who are given the live-attenuated herpes zoster vaccine Zostavax concomitant with another vaccine are at no greater risk of adverse events than those given the zoster vaccine alone, Australian researchers have found.

The findings, based on data collected by the AusVaxSafety active surveillance program, suggest that Zostavax can be safely administered alongside influenza, 23-valent pneumococcal or the diphtheria/tetanus vaccine.

AusVaxSafety, run by National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) in Sydney, sends follow-up SMS messages to vaccine recipients three days post-vaccination with a survey about side effects.

Writing in BMJ Open, the NCIRS-led team analysed the side effects data from more than 17,000 elderly patients (median age 72) collected between 2016, when the vaccine was added to the NIP for over-70s, and 2018.